New Zealand
AIR
IMPORT
- Major terminals (Air New Zealand, Swissport, Menzies) are operating normally nationwide.
EXPORT
- Major terminals (Air New Zealand, Swissport, Menzies) are operating normally nationwide.
LANDSIDE & CUSTOMS
- Heightened activity in the Middle East causing disruption in the Strait of Hormuz is putting more pressure on fuel prices in NZ. FAF will continue to fluctuate during this time.
- Port of Tauranga gets strategic expansion approval – Port of Tauranga’s long-running Stella Passage development has received fast-track approval, subject to conditions and appeal rights. The project provides for:
• a 385m extension to the Sulphur Point container berth;
• a 315m extension to Mount Maunganui wharves;
• dredging approximately 10.55 hectares of Stella Passage to around 16m below chart datum; and
• additional container-crane capability. - The NZ Customs Service has noticed a significant increase in the number of instances where the identity of legitimate NZ and overseas companies are being falsely used to facilitate the importation of drugs and other prohibited goods. The groups behind this are adopting clever ways to make the shipment seem as legitimate as possible. Industry vigilance is a key way to help combat this risk.
Some recent indicators to be alert to are:
• Air and sea freight shipment
• Originate from US but may be transited via other countries
• DDP incoterms
• Goods valued at under $1000 and cleared on a Simplified Entry
• Communications via email
• Regular imports
• The importer/supplier may ‘recommend’ other people to you for clearance of additional shipmentsIf you have, or have previously had, any such shipments in the past then please be alert to the email address you are communicating with to ensure it is an email address correctly associated with the legitimate importer or supplier e.g. the email may end ‘.com’ whereas the legitimate business may use ‘.co.nz’.
If you are approached to clear or handle any such future shipments, or you suspect you may have previously cleared or handled any such shipment, then please contact the Customs Border Protect team as soon as possible. Your information may help protect New Zealand and stop harm coming to our communities. Effective border control takes partnerships and collaboration, and we can’t always identify this type of offending alone.
If you think something isn’t right, regardless of what it is, please call the Border Protect team on 021 957 928, or email ccateamakl@customs.govt.nz. You will never be wasting our time, and we welcome referrals of anything suspicious regardless of how big or small it is.
Australia
LANDSIDE & CUSTOMS
- The BMSB Seasonal measures for 2026-2027 have now commenced and will apply to target high-risk goods from target risk countries shipped on board a vessel between 1st September 2026 to 30th April 2027 (inclusive) https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/import/before/brown-marmorated-stink-bugshttps://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/import/before/brown-marmorated-stink-bugs
- We are pleased to advise that we have seen an improvement in Border Holds affecting import containers. Industry bodies continue to work closely with Border Force to advocate for appropriate resourcing and greater transparency around the reasons for holds. Importers should continue to allow for potential delays when planning shipments and escalate through normal channels where appropriate. While the situation is improving, some delays and associated costs may continue to occur.
- Due to the high volume of import containers entering Australia, terminals are experiencing congestion and delays to berthing windows. This has also resulted in limited container slot availability for the collection of full import containers and the return of empty containers to designated container parks, with transport carriers charging additional waiting time costs outside of their free time window. These delays are also impacting import LCL consignments & LCL slot availability.
- The release of the final Khapra Beetle Pest Risk Analysis marks a significant milestone for Australia’s management of one of the world’s most destructive stored product pests. The report confirms that the current emergency measures applying to plant product imports will largely transition into ongoing biosecurity requirements. Proposed measures include strengthened phytosanitary certification requirements, additional controls for research imports, and expanded oversight of offshore treatment providers. While implementation arrangements are still being finalised, existing emergency measures remain in place pending publication of revised BICON conditions.
- Friday 25th September is a public holiday in Melbourne.
Asia
AIR
IMPORT
- New Zealand import capacity remains tight across all of Asia, China in particular have had an increase in booking in the lead up to the Autumn and Golden Week festivals which has seen a spike in rates.
- Australian import capacity is tightening across key Asian origins as we approach China Golden Week and the traditional Q4 peak period.
- Australian import rates have increased significantly across several key markets, with further increases expected over the coming 1–2 weeks as carriers manage available capacity ahead of the holiday period.
- China and Hong Kong departures are becoming particularly busy, with early bookings strongly recommended for all time-sensitive cargo.
- Premium and direct services remain available for Australian imports; however, pricing is becoming increasingly volatile, and space should be secured as early as possible.
- Any further disruption through the Middle East may place additional pressure on Asian capacity as cargo is redirected onto alternative carriers and routings.
EXPORT
- New Zealand exports – Capacity available on most carriers across all Asian destinations.
- Australian export rates are starting to increase across selected services, with further movement possible as available capacity becomes more constrained.
- Australian export capacity is beginning to tighten across several Asian destinations as the market approaches China Golden Week.
- Early bookings are strongly recommended over the next 1 – 2 weeks, particularly for China, Hong Kong and North Asia.
- Premium options remain available for urgent Australian export cargo, although rates are expected to remain volatile through the Golden Week period.
OCEAN
IMPORT
- As Golden Week (1 – 8 Oct) is pretty much upon us, we now turn our attention to the weeks following those, with the space pressures likely to continue for as long as we see the omissions of major ports (Shanghai, Ningbo and Yantian being the big 3). Please ensure you are allowing at least an additional week on any proposed ETA and consider any closures over the summer when ordering product.
- When considering pre-Christmas arrivals, allowing for any delays that might occur, below are the dates to work toward (more info will follow on this in October – the goalposts on this will likely move as we get closer to the time but will give sufficient buffer for planning at this point):
• Direct Ports (i.e. Shanghai, Ningbo, Yantian, Shekou, Singapore, Port Klang) – cargo ready date no later than 6 November
• Feeder Ports – cargo ready date no later than 30 October
- South-East Asia transship ports (in Malaysia and Singapore) continue to improve and will likely return to usual operations from mid-October.
EXPORT
- Asia is still experiencing disruption due to terminal congestion and vessel queues following multiple typhoons over the past few weeks – Ningbo and Shanghai ports are seeing the most impact with many vessels omitting each port.
- Space remains accessible however schedules are changing with little to no warning.
MIDDLE EAST:
There are limited-service options to the region. Some Carriers are offering services to Khor Fakkan and Al Fujairah in the UAE. Alternative services to Aqaba, Jeddah and King Abdullah entering the Suez Canal from the Mediterranean Sea are available.
Trans-Tasman
AIR
IMPORT
- New Zealand imports – Consols are largely moving as booked, the Air NZ backlog out of Melbourne has largely been cleared. Additional space remains hard to get and rates are increasing for anything that sits outside the consols.
- Qantas, Dnata, Swissport and Menzies Aviation continue to operate normally.
- No significant terminal congestion is currently being experienced across Australia; however, increased volumes approaching the Q4 peak period are expected.
EXPORT
- Export terminals across Australia continue to operate normally.
- New Zealand export consols are moving as booked and additional capacity is now available on freighters during the week.
OCEAN
- As 20’ equipment shortages continue we are seeing a shift towards LCL (less container load) as the next best alternative transport mode. Delays can occur as we wait for shipping lines to find and make boxes available. Based on current market rates, any consignments 17 CBM or less can be on parr with an FCL (Full container load) shipment. At face value the cost per CBM as LCL is higher but savings in trucking (origin and destination), devan time and labour as well the complete removal of detention risk needs to be considered. While FCL pricing is subject to change and can impact this FCL vs LCL ratio over time, the lack of 20’ equipment supply in Australia will be ongoing.
IMPORT
- Over the past week, the vessel San Gorgio on the ANL Trans-Tasman service has experienced significant delays arriving into Australia due to severe weather conditions resulting in the vessel needing to take shelter during transit. To maintain service integrity and support schedule recovery, shipping line has been required to perform a service slide.
EXPORT
- ANL’s TTZ schedule has slid by a week as the San Giorgio was forced to shelter from inclement weather. This is in order to restore schedule integrity. ANL’s ANZ Shuttle service will remain a fortnightly service until the 29th Oct when the ANL Tasman Trader resumes its New Zealand rotation starting in Auckland.
- Cosco have added a Lyttelton port call on their ANE service commencing with the Hansa Freyburg 053W ETA Lyttelton 24 September. The rotation is as follows; AKL-TRG-LYT-WLG-MEL-BEL-SYD-AKL
- Fuel prices are still changing and we are currently sitting at 37% in Australia and will be updating this weekly.
Europe
AIR
IMPORT
- New Zealand imports – Capacity is starting to tighten up again as transit points are handling more cargo resulting in delays of between 48 and 72 hours.
- Australian import capacity remains tight across several services, particularly on routings connecting through the Middle East.
- The current situation in the Middle East remains volatile and is being monitored closely. Further escalation has the potential to impact flight schedules, available airspace and transit times.
- Qatar Airways and Emirates services remain important capacity providers between Europe and Australia. Any reduction or disruption through Doha or Dubai could place significant pressure on alternative routings.
- Australian import rates remain volatile, and early bookings are strongly recommended for urgent or time-critical shipments.
EXPORT
- New Zealand exports – Space has again tightened via the Middle East with bookings taking between 48 and 72 hours to be confirmed, longer still delays via USA.
- Australian export capacity remains very tight across several carriers, particularly on lower-cost services.
- Qatar Airways and Emirates routings continue to provide significant Australia – Europe capacity; however, the ongoing Middle East situation remains a key risk to schedules and available space.
- Any further escalation or airspace restrictions could result in flight diversions, reduced capacity, longer transit times and increased rates at short notice.
- Premium services remain available for urgent Australian export cargo, with advance bookings strongly recommended.
- Alternative routings through Asia are available for Australian exports but may tighten quickly if additional cargo is redirected away from Middle Eastern hubs.
OCEAN
IMPORT
- BMSB season started again on September 1st, 2026, and will run through to April 30th, 2027. Procedures should be the same as last season.
- Port workers in Hamburg and Bremerhaven may go on strike. No indication given yet for how long the strike would last, but this would affect imports into both New Zealand and Australia.
- CMA CGM has suspended booking on their Europe to NZ services via Asia due to peak season volumes causing congestion. Booking ahead 3-4 weeks is recommend across all lines.
- Some lines have introduced Emergency Fuel Surcharges due to rapidly rising oil prices.
- CMA CGM and Maersk are continuing to sail via Cape of Good Hope.
- There have been shortages of 20ft equipment from some ports.
- Low water levels in canals means barge services are limited and more cargo moving on the road. Truckers can be hard to get with all this extra work.
- We have seen increased customs inspections from European ports particularly on cargo with any military connection.
EXPORT
- Due to peak season space has tightened on all European services, please endeavour to place your bookings 4+ weeks in advance.
- There is congestion with transhipment in Singapore with some Carriers averaging delays of 3-5 weeks.
North America
AIR
IMPORT
- Most New Zealand import consols are now moving as booked as back logs are cleared. Air NZ’s San Francisco backlog from a couple of weeks ago was caused by the service disruption after an incident involving a couple of pilots resulted in delayed and cancelled flights.
- Australian import consol services are generally moving as booked, although additional space remains limited on selected services.
- Middle East disruption has limited direct impact on most USA – Australia routings; however, increasing global fuel costs and displaced capacity may place upward pressure on rates.
- Australian import rates remain relatively stable compared with Asia and Europe, with some fluctuations depending on carrier and routing.
- Early bookings remain recommended, particularly for larger or urgent Australian import shipments.
EXPORT
- New Zealand export bookings have again pushed out to up to a week to confirm across all carriers, there are some options via Honolulu, but not all connections are with wide body aircraft.
- Uplift availability remains tight across several carriers for Australian exports, with early bookings recommended.
- Australian export rates remain relatively stable overall, although fuel costs and wider global capacity pressures may result in some increases.
- Australian export capacity remains manageable with sufficient forward planning.
OCEAN
- Vancouver terminal utilization has increased to 90%; there are no berthing delays. The average import rail dwell time is 3.4 days. Rail wagon supply is strong.
- US Terminal Operations:
New York – no berthing delays, rail dwell time has increased slightly to 0.6 days.
Norfolk – minimal berthing delays, import dwell time has increased to 3.07 days.
Charleston – berthing delays of up to 18 hours, import dwell has increased to 7.11 days.
Savannah – average berthing time remains at 18 hours. Import dwell time has increased to 4.3 days, rail dwell time increased slightly to 1.32 days.
Houston – berthing delays of up to 3 hours. Import dwell time remains at 2.2 days.
Oakland – no berthing delays. Average import delivery timeframe has decreased to 4 days.
Seattle – no berthing delays. Rail import dwell time remains at 3 days. The terminal is closed on Fridays.
Los Angeles – average dwell time for local import cargo is 3 days, on-dock rail dwell time is 4.1 days.
IMPORT
- As water levels in Central America continue to cause issues with the Panama Canal, we are beginning to see additional surcharges come about. At this point the additional costs sit around USD 150 per TEU however this could increase from that point depending on how the situation develops.
- US/Canada West Coast services seem to be operating normally at this time.
EXPORT
- West Coast North America – There is a blank sailing in week 43. After the CMA CGM Dutch Harbor 638N ETD 8/10 the subsequent Seattle vessel is the Maersk Mammoth 641N ETD 31/10.
- US East Coast – Severe El Niño-induced drought has forced the Panama Canal Authority to reduce daily ship transits from 40 to an average of 29.5 vessels starting October 2026. Low water levels in Gatun Lake have triggered strict draft limits, causing wait times of up to ten days, queue-skipping auctions, and supply chain disruption. Carriers have implemented Emergency Panama Canal surcharges from mid-October.
- US Rail – There is seasonal congestion at US rail ramp. Chicago, Louisville, and Kansas City are heavily impacted.
